They are very, very welcome – if they want to move back to Ireland, that’s great. But there’s no reason for them to have to move to Ireland.”

Figures from the Irish consulate show there were:

45 applications for citizenship from Scotland in 2013

56 applications in 2014

71 applications in 2015

389 applications in 2016

762 applications in 2017

With the figures for the first 10 months of this year available, there have been 847 applications from Scotland.

While some of those applying have cited freedom of movement within the EU as one of their motivations, Senator Richmond said the symbolic act of claiming a link with Ireland is just as important.

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He urged people to “take the passport, be part of the global diaspora”, adding: “Ireland has a population of just five million, with a global diaspora of 72 million. It’s something we’re really proud of.”